4/18/2013 |
Changing skippers won't solve Angels' woesIt's easy to look for simple solutions to broader problems. The Angels aren't 4-10 because their manager has been bad. Getting rid of Mike Scioscia almost certainly would not calm down Josh Hamilton at the plate or give Tommy Hanson back the zip on his fastball.

4/18/2013 |
Judges announced for Honorary Bat Girl contestAlex Gordon of the Royals, Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates and CC Sabathia of the Yankees are among guest judges announced for the ongoing Honorary Bat Girl Contest, which encourages fans to share "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" stories for a chance to be honored on the field during Mother's Day celebrations around Major League Baseball.

4/18/2013 |
Morton, Liriano closer to joining rotationTwo high-end starters -- Charlie Morton and Francisco Liriano -- are turning the corner in their Minor League rehabs, and manager Clint Hurdle wants their footsteps to be heard.

4/18/2013 |
Braves power up with four homers vs. BucsB.J. Upton led off the game with a homer, Justin Upton hit his Major League-leading ninth home run and Evan Gattis added to his legend with an eighth-inning pinch-hit homer that proved to be the decisive blow in Thursday night's 6-4 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.

4/18/2013 |
Hudson on the verge of notching 200th winThoughts of Tim Hudson becoming a big leaguer seemed farfetched when his only opportunity to play collegiately was with his hometown community college. But 20 years later, he finds himself on the verge of becoming the 110th pitcher in Major League history to record 200 wins.

4/18/2013 |
Chen embodies team mentality with move to 'penSure, virtually every pitcher who's established as a starter wants to stay in that job, but Bruce Chen was swept up in the tide of incoming starters that Kansas City's front office brought in this winter. Then he lost a Spring Training battle for the fifth spot in the rotation. So it was off to the bullpen, without complaint.

4/18/2013 |
Padres homer thrice to sweep DodgersEverth Cabrera, Kyle Blanks and Chris Denorfia each homered off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on Wednesday night to lead the Padres to a 7-2 victory and a series sweep in Los Angeles.

4/18/2013 |
Frustrated Kemp gets a little breatherMatt Kemp was not a happy camper Wednesday because the Dodgers' starting lineup was posted without him in it, but he did pinch-hit and picked up his fifth RBI of the season with a sac fly in a loss to the Padres.

4/18/2013 |
'Pen writes perfect ending for red-hot SoxUsually, Koji Uehara comes out of Boston's bullpen first, only to be followed later in the game by Junichi Tazawa. Perhaps the order doesn't matter as much as their consistent dominance. Together, they were vital in leading the sizzling Red Sox to a 6-3 victory over the Indians on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

4/18/2013 |
Youth being served among pitching eliteThis is taking shape as a golden age of pitchers. Everywhere you look across the Major League landscape, you'll find extraordinary young talents, already fully evolved artistically in special cases such as the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner of the World Series champion Giants and Chris Sale of the White Sox.

4/18/2013 |
Rebirth of rotation revives Red Sox's mystiqueIt was easy to make beer and fried chicken jokes at the end of 2011 and easier still to snicker at the dysfunction of the Bobby Valentine dynamic. But the Red Sox lost their way when their starting pitching fell apart. The re-emergence of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz has put them back on a winning path.

4/17/2013 |
Maybin lands on DL with wrist injuryThere was good news to be had for the Padres on Wednesday, as third baseman Chase Headley was reinstated from the disabled list, but there was also some bad news, as center fielder Cameron Maybin was placed on the DL with a right wrist impingement.

4/17/2013 |
Headley gets season under way in LAPadres third baseman Chase Headley, who broke his thumb during Spring Training, made his 2013 debut on Wednesday night, going 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in a 7-2 win over the Dodgers.

4/17/2013 |
Kershaw is fastest Dodger to 1,000 K'sDodgers ace Clayton Kershaw recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in the second inning on Wednesday night against the Padres, hitting the milestone in fewer career innings than the club's previous record holder, Sandy Koufax.

4/17/2013 |
Harris' homer a reversal in fortuneBrendan Harris' home run on Monday night at Target Field carried some irony, simply because the last time he had gone deep was against the Angels while playing for the Twins, and this time it was reversed.

4/17/2013 |
Ortiz could rejoin Red Sox for upcoming homestandIs David Ortiz close enough in his rehab from a torn Achilles' tendon to join Boston when it returns home Friday night and opens a series against Kansas City, even though he'll play another rehab game Thursday? Boston manager John Farrell expressed the opinion that it could happen.

4/17/2013 |
Greinke regrets not telling Ellis of history with QuentinZack Greinke regrets not telling catcher A.J. Ellis about his history with Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin, information that may have prevented the broken left collarbone Greinke sustained during Thursday's benches-clearing incident in San Diego.

4/17/2013 |
Dozier up, Hicks down in Twins lineup shuffleWith Aaron Hicks still trying to work his way out of an early-season slump, Brian Dozier was scheduled to serve as leadoff hitter for a second straight night against the Angels on Wednesday, but the game ended up being postponed.

4/17/2013 |
Moore continues dominance as Rays top O'sMaking his third start of the season, Matt Moore gave the Rays his second quality start, while homers by Kelly Johnson and Shelley Duncan and two James Loney doubles led the offense in a 6-2 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.